The Verticle Axis Wind turbine otherwise known as VAWT is designed so that it maybe attached to a flat roof or stand on a platform in either the rural or urban environment. Vertical wind Generators are never really sold commercially minus one exception which is the Darrieus wind generator. Which was designed by Georges Darrieus a French engineer in 1931.It looks somewhat like an eggbeater with it’s C shape and is normally built with either 2 or 3 blades.
The advantages of a vertical wind generator are that it is less likely to kill birds whilst in operation, it has very little vibration, it produces no noise what so ever, it can easily catch wind from any direction, and is stackable. When compared to the horizontal axis wind generator it definitely has it’s perks too. For example there’s a good chance that you won’t need a tower to mount the turbine and also the yaw mechanism is not necessary to turn the rotator against the wind.
However it does also have its disadvantages too. For instance, because it is usually installed without a tower and therefore tends to be closer to the ground, you tend to find that ground wind speeds are very low, hence the overall efficiency of the machine is not that great. Also, unlike the types which have a motor, this wind generator doesn’t start on it’s own you have to give it a push.
It also may need guy wires to hold it in place and stop it from falling, and if one day you want to fix the rotor then you have to take the whole machine down. However that’s something that you also must do with the horizontal wind generator as well. VAWTS are very uncommon and are far more difficult to purchase than the horizontal axis-wind generator, however there are suppliers that offer very affordable prices.